The Clog Dance is said to be the fore-runner of the Folk Dance. The Lancashire

Clog, which is a more complicated dance form than that of the levee clog dancers. The clog dance

made some contributions to Tap dance as well. In the 1520's the Italians referred to it as "des sabots". The word "clog" is Gaelic and means "time".

The most difficult of the Irish (British Isles) clogs are the Irish Jigs, Hornpipes and Reels. In some of these the feet can tap the floor more than seventy times in fifteen seconds. In clog dancing, no thought is given to facial, line expressions and the arms are kept motionless. clog contests in the 19th. century would have the judges sit behind

a screen or under the dance floor, judging the sounds rather than the body movements of the dancers. Originally this dance was performed in wooden shoes called clogs, but later would be performed in wooden soled shoes. During the 1760s' clog dancing would find it's way to the Appalacian Mountan Area's thru the immagrant's who migrated there. Thru this diversification of dance cultures mixing, the American Clog dance (aka: Hillbily Tap Dance) would be born becoming a part of many American dance forms.

Minstrel clog dancers would soon become Tap dancers in the early 1900's and Master Juba would be the King of them all. For several decades Tap and clog would flourish successfully together. The clog dance almost came to oblivion because of the mixing of the Clog and Shuffle dances of the African- Americans (today known as Tap) by the end of the 19th. century.

When George H. Primrose danced the clog without the wooden soles he invented the Soft-Shoe routine. Barney Williams was the first professional clog dancer to come to the U.S. in 1840. The first professional dancers (troupe) in the U.S. were the Irish Clog Dancers (traced to pre-Christian Ireland). These dancers that followed were called "Song and Dance Men" in the Minstrel-Vaudeville shows. Kitty O'Neal is said to be the first American female clog dancer.

In 1866, the Black Crook, considered to be the first musical, featured Minstrel and Clog dancers who danced very stiffly and gave rise to the term Pedestal dancer. In 1902 at the New York Theater Roof, Ned Wayburn created a theatre play called "Minstrel Misses" and it is said was here he coined the term "Tap and Step dance" in this musical play. This was the first time these names had been used professionally. The misses used light clogs with split wooden soles because aluminum heel and toes taps did not appear till a decade later.

The Pedestal dancer would climb upon a marbled or gilded pedestal (24 inch base) and basically clog or Tap out a routine while posing as motionless as a statue. Henry E. Dixey who used to whitewash himself, was one such dancer that was known as a Pedestal dancer, he would be presented to the stage as a statue on a pedestal in the likes of Apollo or Discobulos. When the curtains parted he would start clog dancing on the pedestal in a statue like motion, only moving the feet and legs.

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The basic clogging step is a two-tap movement (or double toe). To execute a double toe, quickly brush the ball of the foot fwd. and back (snapkicking forward from the knee, then allowing the leg to fall back) which should make two 'tap-tap' sounds. The basic clog step consists of 'Double toe step, Rock-Step, Left, Right, Left'.